Category Archives: Featured

Text and Photos by Ali Sardar Spending a Saturday morning in a classroom is not something most kids want to do. So why did 110 kids between 9 and 17 years old in Lawrenceville, Georgia, do that in mid-May? They received basketball instruction from retired NBA stars and learned how to deal with police, tense situations and about Georgia law via Juvenile Justice Jeopardy. “Young people are learning about the law, juvenile justice and police … from media, family and friends [and] it’s all wrong,” said Steve O’Reilly, staff attorney for Strategies for Youth, which originated the game and […]

Steve O’Reilly, Strategies for Youth’s director of youth outreach program, explains to students what police officers are trained to do when they are called about a gun being pointed at someone.

Student smiles in amusement at the scenario on the screen.

Students ponder the situation displayed by program director Steve O’Reilly.

Students discuss possible answers with their team leader.

The youngest group of students are eager to see what the next scenario will be.

A student is ready to begin the next round.

Two students are eager to quickly discuss and answer before time is up.

A student reads the pamphlet about what to do and what not to do when interacting with police officers. Read the full story

A student is surprised to see a scenario she could relate to.

Lisa H. Thurau, Strategies for Youth’s executive director, spends a few moments after the program to explain its importance for the youth.

Text and Photos by Ali Sardar ATLANTA — Advocacy groups and protesters rallied this weekend downtown in support of Jessica Colotl, whose Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status was recently revoked. Her story made headlines in 2010 when she faced deportation as a 21-year-old undocumented student after being arrested for driving without a license. Since then Colotl received DACA status, graduated and went to work as a paralegal for Kuck Immigration Partners. Organizations participating Saturday were the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia; the ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project, which has joined Colotl’s legal team; Asian Americans Advancing Justice; Black Lives […]

Kuck Immigration Partners, the law firm handling Jessica Colotl’s case, was at the rally. Until recently, she worked at the firm as a paralegal.

A protester showed her support for Jessica Colotl at a rally Saturday to protest her Dreamer status being revoked by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Two protesters gave the power sign as they held up their placard at the rally.

The crowd gathered in front of the Richard B. Russell Federal Building Saturday to protest against ICE immigration actions and stand with Jessica Colotl.

A representative of Georgia Equality was one of the speakers about the actions taken against Jessica Colotl.

A protester displayed her homemade sign to the crowd.

Protesters waved their signs in the 87-degree heat in Atlanta Saturday.

A representative of the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials expressed her concern about Jessica Colotl’s immigration status.

The crowd paid close attention to the speaker, who was describing injustices in the United States.

An elderly protester expressed her concern for Dreamers like Jessica Colotl.

Protesters were holding “#STAND WITH JESSICA” signs to bring attention to her case. Her status under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program was revoked in May.

The crowd gathered at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Richard B. Russell Federal Building in downtown Atlanta to voice their concerns and protest the legal action taken against Jessica Colotl.

Text and Photos by Becky Holladay “Good morning, Love Bugs, it’s a beautiful day!” Meaghan Holley sang through the door of an apartment. “Psych. It’s actually really gross out. But we still have to get up and go to school!” Holley, a 30-year-old community worker who runs Rockaway Rising, which works with youth and families in Far Rockaway, Queens, personally escorts to school kids who would otherwise be absenteeism statistics. 0 likes

On a cold and drizzly morning, children who attend elementary school PS 104 Bayswater in Far Rockaway, Queens wait for the #NoExcusesBus to take them to school on December 12, 2016. (Photo by Becky Holladay) Read the full story

Meaghan Holley, Director of Rockaway Rising, plays with a student while they wait for her older sister to finish getting ready. Holley started the #NoExcusesBus in March 2016 when she learned that nearly 70 school-age who lived in one apartment complex were defined as chronically absent, which means missing two or more days of school a month. (Photo by Becky Holladay)

Two students who ride the #NoExcusesBus wait for Holley to finish a conversation with their mother. Rockaway Rising’s approach to chronic absenteeism is to combat poverty as well, and attend to the needs of the childrens’ families in whatever capacity they need. (Photo by Becky Holladay)

A student waits for the #NoExcusesBus to leave for PS 104 Bayswater. The bus sometimes makes three trips in the morning. On this particular day, they drove nearly 75 children to school. (Photo by Becky Holladay)

Holley talks to a student about her behavior on the #NoExcusesBus, December 5, 2016. (Photo by Becky Holladay)

Students play a game with Holley while waiting for more students to get on the bus. (Photo by Becky Holladay)

Holley greets a student who’s come out to get a ride to school. In this particular district, students above the 2nd grade who live less than a mile from school are ineligible for the city school bus, which has an affect on attendance and chronic absenteeism. (Photo by Becky Holladay)

A student adjusts his hood in the drizzling rain outside school. Before the #NoExcusesBus, children who were ineligible for the city’s public school bus and had to walk to school would sometimes miss school if it was raining or snowing. (Photo by Becky Holladay)

Holley hugs a student while waiting for the #NoExcusesBus that runs from an apartment complex on Dix Avenue in Far Rockaway, Queens, to elementary school PS104. (Photo by Becky Holladay)

A student waits to disembark the #NoExcusesBus on December 5, 2016. (Photo by Becky Holladay)

A student takes a ride on the #NoExcusesBus on December 5, 2016. This particular morning, the bus made three trips between the apartment complex on Dix Avenue and the elementary school PS104. (Photo by Becky Holladay)

Holley gives a hand to a reluctant student on the #NoExcusesBus on December 5, 2016. (Photo by Becky Holladay)

A Rockaway Rising employee tries to cheer up a student by hand delivering him to the front door of the school on December 5, 2016. (Photo by Becky Holladay)

Text and Photos by Sean Myers LOS ANGELES — Nestled among nondescript warehouses and infamous streets, Inner-City Arts in downtown Los Angeles’ Skid Row is an oasis for artistic growth and self-exploration that serves more than 8,000 students each year. (Click on photo gallery, above.) The school provides free classes each day for students in grades K-8 education through a partnership with the L.A. Unified School District and other charter schools. The nonprofit organization also offers after-school and weekend programs for high school students, as well as summer programs for children of all ages. The out-of-school time classes typically have a fee, […]

Text by Karen Savage | Photos by Devin Khan NEW YORK — Chants of “not my president” and “love trumps hate” filled the air as thousands of young people stood shoulder to shoulder Wednesday night, filling the blocks around Trump Tower with signs reading: “Trump = Racist Rapist,” “Black Lives Matter,” “She Got More Votes” and “Trump, I’m LGBTQ and I’m not afraid of you.” While Donald Trump’s election victory pointed a spotlight on vast racial, economic and cultural differences across the country, New Yorkers united to show their sadness, shock and anger over Trump’s victory in the 2016 presidential […]

Text by Daryl Khan | Photos by Karen Savage and Marco Poggio NEW YORK — Gavin Long was not among the peaceful crowds on July 10, the week before he savagely murdered three Baton Rouge law enforcement officers. He was nowhere to be found among the mostly young protesters who gathered to call for justice in the shooting death of Alton Sterling by police officers Blane Salamoni and Howie Lake II, and for reforms of a department they said was rife with racism. He did not participate in the demonstrations, carry signs, deliver speeches. And that should come as […]

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA. July 8, 2016.
Young activists at the Radical Arts and Healing Collective in New Orleans prepare a banner portraying Alton Sterling, an African American Baton Rouge resident who was killed by police officers on July 5, 2016.
07/08/2016 Photo by Marco Poggio Read the full story

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA. July 8, 2016.
Hundreds of people gathered at Confederate General Robert E. Lee Circle in New Orleans, on July 8, to call for an end to police brutality in the wake of the killings of Eric Harris, Victor White, Alton Sterling and other individuals.
07/08/2016 Photo by Marco Poggio

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA. July 9, 2016.
Young protesters in front of the Baton Rouge Police Department headquarter on July 9, 2016.
07/09/2016 Photo by Marco Poggio

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA. July 9, 2016.
A protester confronts a sheriff’s deputy in riot gear during a standoff near Airline Highway in Baton Rouge on July 9, 2016. Protesters are calling for justice for Alton Sterling, who was killed by Baton Rouge police on July 5.
07/09/2016 Photo by Marco Poggio

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA. July 9, 2016.
A moment of collective prayer during a protest against police brutality in Baton Rouge, LA, on July 9. Protesters took the street to denounce the killing of Baton Rouge resident Alton Sterling and other individuals across the country.
07/09/2016 Photo by Marco Poggio

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA. July 9, 2016.
A moment of collective prayer during a protest against police brutality in Baton Rouge, LA, on July 9. Protesters took the street to denounce the killing of Baton Rouge resident Alton Sterling and other individuals across the country.
07/09/2016 Photo by Marco Poggio

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA. July 10, 2016.
Heavily armed law enforcement agents press through peaceful protesters in Baton Rouge. About 185 people who took the streets to protest the killing of Alton Sterling were arrested between July 8 and July 10.
07/10/2016 Photo by Marco Poggio

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA. July 11, 2016.
A graffiti on a building near the place where Alton Sterling was killed in the early hours of July 5, 2016.
07/11/2016 Photo by Marco Poggio

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA. July 10, 2016.
Heavily armed police attempt to disperse the crowd at a protest in Baton Rouge on July 10, 2016. Protesters are calling for justice for Alton Sterling, who was killed by Baton Rouge police on July 5.
07/10/2016 Photo by Karen Savage

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA. July 10, 2016.
Heavily armed police arrest a peaceful protester at a protest in Baton Rouge on July 10, 2016. Protesters are calling for justice for Alton Sterling, who was killed by Baton Rouge police on July 5.
07/10/2016 Photo by Karen Savage

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA. July 10, 2016.
Police follow protesters through Baton Rouge’s Beauregard Town neighborhood on July 10, 2016. Protesters are calling for justice for Alton Sterling, who was killed by Baton Rouge police on July 5.
07/10/2016 Photo by Karen Savage

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA. July 10, 2016.
A photographer with his hands up moves away from police during a protest in Baton Rouge on July 10, 2016. Protesters are calling for justice for Alton Sterling, who was killed by Baton Rouge police on July 5.
07/10/2016 Photo by Karen Savage

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA. July 10, 2016.
Peaceful protesters holding signs and taking pictures in Baton Rouge on July 10, 2016. Protesters are calling for justice for Alton Sterling, who was killed by Baton Rouge police on July 5.
07/10/2016 Photo by Karen Savage

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA. July 9, 2016.
A Baton Rouge police officer pointing a long gun at a JJIE reporter during a protest on Airline Highway on the night of July 9.
07/09/2016 Photo by Karen Savage.

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA. July 9, 2016.
A Baton Rouge police officer who pointed a gun at protesters and reporters was back on the street less than 24 hours later, at a protest in the Beauregard Town neighborhood of Baton Rouge, LA.
07/09/2016. Photo by Karen Savage

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA. July 10, 2016.
A woman cries as police carrying assault-style weapons move closer to the crowd at a protest in Baton Rouge on July 10, 2016. Protesters are calling for justice for Alton Sterling, who was killed by Baton Rouge police just after midnight on July 5.
07/10/2016 Photo by Karen Savage

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA. July 10, 2016.
A woman arrestee is loaded into a police van is seen beyond the feet of reporter Karen Savage, who was arrested at a protest in Baton Rouge on July 10, 2016. Protesters are calling for justice for Alton Sterling, who was killed by Baton Rouge police just after midnight on July 5.
07/10/2016 Photo by Karen Savage.

Photos and text by Rebecca White NEW YORK — “And I soon gathered that being perceived as dangerous is a hazard in itself. I only needed to turn a corner into a dicey situation, or crowd some frightened, armed person in a foyer somewhere, or make an errant move after being pulled over by a policeman. Where fear and weapons meet — and they often do in urban America — there is always the possibility of death.” —Brent Staples, “Just Walk on By: Black Men and Public Space,” a 1986 essay in Ms. Magazine Brownsville in Brooklyn seems to […]

December 12, 2013 Brooklyn, NY, USA: (Robert Stolarik for The New York Times) Read the full story

December 12, 2013 Brooklyn, NY, USA: (Robert Stolarik for The New York Times)

December 12, 2013 Brooklyn, NY, USA: (Robert Stolarik for The New York Times)

December 12, 2013 Brooklyn, NY, USA: (Robert Stolarik for The New York Times)

December 12, 2013 Brooklyn, NY, USA: (Robert Stolarik for The New York Times)

December 12, 2013 Brooklyn, NY, USA: (Robert Stolarik for The New York Times)

December 12, 2013 Brooklyn, NY, USA: (Robert Stolarik for The New York Times)

December 12, 2013 Brooklyn, NY, USA: (Robert Stolarik for The New York Times)

December 12, 2013 Brooklyn, NY, USA: (Robert Stolarik for The New York Times)

December 12, 2013 Brooklyn, NY, USA: (Robert Stolarik for The New York Times)

December 12, 2013 Brooklyn, NY, USA: (Robert Stolarik for The New York Times)

December 12, 2013 Brooklyn, NY, USA: (Robert Stolarik for The New York Times)

December 12, 2013 Brooklyn, NY, USA: (Robert Stolarik for The New York Times)

December 12, 2013 Brooklyn, NY, USA: (Robert Stolarik for The New York Times)

Video by Roger Newton Youth Today spoke to six young people July 2 at the 2015 International Convention of Alcoholics Anonymous in Atlanta, asking them a series of personal questions about alcoholism and sobriety. To maintain AA’s dedication to anonymity, this video will not show faces or name names. This article was first published on YouthToday.org. See more work by Roger Newton HERE Read more from at YouthToday.org 0 likes

Text by Daryl Khan / Photos by Robert Stolarik The mostly black electorate of Baltimore elected a white candidate to be the next mayor in 1999. My editor at The Boston Globe asked me to go find out why. I was walking the derelict blocks of the city when I came upon the answer: a picture fastened to a splintering telephone pole that residents had turned into a makeshift memorial. The picture was of Angus Breen, a grinning teenager, much younger looking than his 14 years, who had been savagely murdered — stabbed to death during a robbery over […]

APRIL 28, 2015-BALTIMORE MD-USA- Large number of protestors were out in the streets Tuesday night to protest the death of Freddie Gray, who was killed while in police custody one day after his funeral.
Minutes after the police made an announcement for the 10 p.m.curfew police began firing tear gas canisters at members of the media and protestors.
(Robert Stolarik for The New York Times) :Read the full story

APRIL 28, 2015-BALTIMORE MD-USA- Large number of protestors were out in the streets Tuesday night to protest the death of Freddie Gray, who was killed while in police custody one day after his funeral.
Minutes after the police made an announcement for the 10 p.m.curfew police began firing tear gas canisters at members of the media and protestors.
(Robert Stolarik for The New York Times)

APRIL 28, 2015-BALTIMORE MD-USA- Large number of protestors were out in the streets Tuesday night to protest the death of Freddie Gray, who was killed while in police custody one day after his funeral.
Minutes after the police made an announcement for the 10 p.m.curfew police began firing tear gas canisters at members of the media and protestors.
(Robert Stolarik for The New York Times)

APRIL 25, 2015-BALTIMORE MD-USA- Police were out in riot gear in West Baltimore Monday night as cars and buildings were set on fire as protestors ran through the streets looting businesses and clashing with police. .(Robert Stolarik for The New York Times)

APRIL 28, 2015-BALTIMORE MD-USA- Police were out in riot gear in West Baltimore Monday night as cars and buildings were set on fire as protestors ran through the streets looting businesses and clashing with police.
A 3 alarm fire burned on Baker Street .
(Robert Stolarik for The New York Times)

APRIL 28, 2015-BALTIMORE MD-USA- Police were out in riot gear in West Baltimore Tuesday morning as cars and buildings were set on fire as protestors ran through the streets looting businesses and clashing with police.
Fires burned throughout the early morning on Piedmont Avenue in Baltimore Tuesday.
(Robert Stolarik for The New York Times)

MAY 2, 2015-BALTIMORE MD-USA-Members of the Baltimore Police department released a can of pepper spray in the face of a man who was standing on the corner of W North Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue after the 10 p.m. curfew. (Robert Stolarik for The New York Times)

APRIL 25, 2015-BALTIMORE MD-USA- Police were in full riot gear as fires burned in the background of Baltimore Monday night .(Robert Stolarik for The New York Times)

APRIL 28, 2015-BALTIMORE MD-USA- Large number of protestors were out in the streets Tuesday afternoon to protest the death of Freddie Gray, who was killed while in police custody one day after his funeral.
Women walked with brooms through the streets of Baltimore to help clean after a night of riots.
(Robert Stolarik for The New York Times)

APRIL 28, 2015-BALTIMORE MD-USA- Large number of protestors were out in the streets Tuesday afternoon to protest the death of Freddie Gray, who was killed while in police custody one day after his funeral.
residents stood near a line of riot police along W. North Avenue Tuesday afternoon.
(Robert Stolarik for The New York Times)

APRIL 28, 2015-BALTIMORE MD-USA- Large number of protestors were out in the streets Tuesday afternoon to protest the death of Freddie Gray, who was killed while in police custody one day after his funeral.
A girl cleaned the streets in front of a row of riot police along W. North Avenue Tuesday afternoon.
(Robert Stolarik for The New York Times)

APRIL 30, 2015-BALTIMORE MD-USA-Residents of West Baltimore continue to live their lives after the death of greedy gray caused unrest in their city.(Robert Stolarik for The New York Times)

Text by Daryl Khan / Photos by Robert Stolarik “Government must focus on the needs of families, must be the protector of neighborhoods and must guard the people from the enormous power of monied interests. Now my friends, it can be done, but not by elected leaders alone. It requires average New Yorkers who simply refuse to allow their community’s voices to be stifled. It’s their spirit that I intend to sweep into City Hall. A spirit that shouts that all boroughs were created equal and that all our residents matter! So, let’s be honest about where we are today. […]

DECEMBER 21, 2014-BROOKLYN,NY-USA:A wall referring to the shooting of Michael Brown on a doorway of a building along Myrtle Avenue, the route the killer took toy get the subway after shooting the two officers. .(Robert Stolarik for The New York Times) :Read the full story

DEMBER 20, 2014-NEW YORK, NY-USA:
Mothers and family members who have lost loved ones to NYPD brutality over the last two decades speak to a a small crowd about their experience at Riverside Church in Manhattan Saturday afternoon.
A photograph of recent protests was projected on a wall of the church while the family members spoke about their experiences.(Robert Stolarik for The New York Times)

DECEMBER 21, 2014-BROOKLYN,NY-USA: A makeshift memorial outside the 84th Precinct in Brooklyn where the two members of the NYPD who were shot and killed Saturday afternoon were assigned..(Robert Stolarik for The New York Times)

Robert Stolarik for The New York Times
Brooklyn, NY
November 29, 2006
Nicholas Heyward holds a toy rifle which was in the hands of his son when police shot him dead in the stairwell of his apartment complex in Brooklyn in 1994. The picture of Nicholas Heyward Jr was taken when he was 13 years old, the year he was killed .

DECEMBER 21, 2014-BROOKLYN,NY-USA: A police officer walks past a memorial and bunting at the 84th Precinct where the two police officers who were shot and killed Saturday afternoon were assigned.(Robert Stolarik for The New York Times)

DECEMBER 21, 2014-BROOKLYN,NY-USA:A wall referring to the shooting of Michael Brown on a doorway of a building along Myrtle Avenue, the route the killer took toy get the subway after shooting the two officers. .(Robert Stolarik for The New York Times)

DECEMBER 21, 2014-BROOKLYN,NY-USA: A man stopped to place an item at a memorial at the corner of Myrtle Avenue and Thompkins Avenue, the scene where two officers were shot and killed Saturday afternoon while sitting in their patrol car.(Robert Stolarik for The New York Times)

DECEMBER 21, 2014-BROOKLYN,NY-USA:Deacon McDuffie stopped to pray at the site where two police officers were shot and killed Saturday afternoon .(Robert Stolarik for The New York Times)

DECEMBER 21, 2014-BROOKLYN,NY-USA:A A playground with no children inside the Thompkins Houses in Brooklyn.(Robert Stolarik for The New York Times)

DECEMBER 21, 2014-BROOKLYN,NY-USA:A mother and her child inside a restaurant across the street from where two officers were shot to death Saturday afternoon in a neighborhood in Brooklyn that will now be remembered for this act of violence.(Robert Stolarik for The New York Times)

DECEMBER 21, 2014-BROOKLYN,NY-USA:A stuffed lay in a hole in the pavement as if dead in the street and partially buried a block away from where the shooting death of two officers by a mentally ill man. (Robert Stolarik for The New York Times)

DECEMBER 21, 2014-BROOKLYN,NY-USA:A small makeshift memorial stood below a Thomkins Houses sign across the street from where the two officers were shot and killed Saturday afternoon in Brooklyn(Robert Stolarik for The New York Times)

DECEMBER 21, 2014-BROOKLYN,NY-USA: Police officers stood on the corner of Myrtle Avenue and Thompkins Avenue, the scene where two officers were shot and killed Saturday afternoon while sitting in their patrol car.(Robert Stolarik for The New York Times)

DECEMBER 21, 2014-BROOKLYN,NY-USA:Hundreds of people attended a vigil for the two officers that were shot and killed Saturday afternoon in Brooklyn .(Robert Stolarik for The New York Times)

DECEMBER 21, 2014-BROOKLYN,NY-USA:United States Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Charles Johnson stands in front of a makeshift memorial for the two officers who were shot and killed Saturday afternoon in Brooklyn. .(Robert Stolarik for The New York Times)

DECEMBER 21, 2014-BROOKLYN,NY-USA: A makeshift memorial on the corner of Myrtle Avenue and Thompkins Avenue where two members of the NYPD were shot and killed Saturday. (Robert Stolarik for The New York Times)